Would Be ‘Akira’ Actor Explains Why Movie Didn’t Work

'Akira' has been one of those Hollywood projects that has been languishing in development hell for quite some time now. The project has been greenlit and stalled so many times that Vegas has now starting taking odds on whether or not the project will ever get off the ground. Actor Toby Kebbell, once in talks to star in the film as Tetsuo, recently shed some light as what he thinks are the reasons for these delays.

At the recent press junket for March 30th's 'Wrath of the Titans, Kebbell spoke out about how he was one of the candidates to play Tetsuo, a young man kidnapped by the government after he developed superhuman powers. Here's what he said in an interview with IFC:

“They were like, ‘This is going to be a big franchise! So I said, ‘Then in that case, understand that I’ve read the comics, and I’ve read the comics that got turned into the annuals, and then the annuals that got turned into the one-off anime. So if you really want to do it, then why don’t you look at the six comics and just put two into each film?’”

That way my character, Tetsuo, is not the lead. He’s not the second lead, and he’s not the third or the fourth lead, because there are eight major characters there. You’ve got great young actors, and you could get them in there. That’s the way to do it if you want to do sequels.”

Whether they rely on the comics or the anime as their source material, one thing is certain -- fans are wondering if they're favorite anime is ever going to hit the big screen. We'll keep you updated on the progress of Akira.